ABSTRACT

This chapter describes demand for education when demand is rational and well informed; demand for education when demand is rational but based on limited information, and demand for education when choosers are relatively uncertain about the implications of their choice. Each of these is subdivided into 'private demand' and 'public demand'. Demand for education, like any other good or service, can only be exercised within a system which has been established to regulate that demand. For economy of words, 'private demand' will refer to demand for education from either individuals or households, and 'public demand' will refer to choices made by politicians or public officials. Children from households with higher income are more likely to attend a fee-paying private school. Parents choosing private schools were more likely than parents choosing public schools to focus on the extent to which a school would meet the individual needs of their child.